Apparatus for submarine photography.



Patented Oct. 29, |90I. L. E. WALKINS.

APPARATUS FOB SUBMARINE PHOTOGRAPHY.

(Application filed June 18, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

A (Ho II-adel.)

No. 685,463. Patented (1ct. 29, |90I.

` L. E. WALKINS. APPARATUS FOR SUBMABINE PHOTOGRAPHY.

(Application Med-Turia 18, 1900.) V

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

vUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS E. VALKINS, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE'- IIALFTO GEORGE M. JEWETT, OF GLENVILLE, MARYLAND.

APPARATUS FOR SUBMARINE PHOTOGRAPHY.

'srEeIFlcATroN forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,463, dated october29, 1901. Application iiled June 18, 1900. Serial No. 20,709. (Nomodel.)

Zh tu whom t may oon/cern:

Be it known that I, Louis E. WALKINs, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatusfor Submarine Photography, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for use xo in submarine photography,the object being to provide an improved device of this class by means ofwhich objects at great depths of water may be clearly photographed andtheir positions and conditions be satisfactorily de- 5 termined; and theinvention consists' in constructing and arranging in a device of thisclass means for containing one or more eleotric lamps, whereby the formsof objects near to or surrounding the devices may be clearly o developedfor the purpose of photographing the same, and suitable photographiccameras supported therein in proximity to said lamps, whereby saidobjects may be photographed, and electrical connections between saiddevices and a ship or other craft on the water thereabove or elsewhere,through which persons at a distance from the said lighting andphotographing devices may operate the same, and means for supporting andadjusting said 3o device in dierent positions in the water.

In the drawings forming part of this speciication, Figure 1 is a planview, partly in section, of an apparatus for photographing submarineobjects embodying this invention.

3 5 Fig. 2 shows in perspective the apparatus suspended in operativeposition beneath the water. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of oneof the cameras and the chamber in which it is inclosed. Fig. 4 is adetail view 4o of a part of the shutter-operating devices. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of a portion of the plate-releasing devices.

In the drawings, 2, 3, 4, and 5 indicate different sections of the maincase of the device,

2 and 3 indicating the upper sections, made of suitable metal, and 4 thelower section, of glass, within which is a second glass section 5. Saiduppermost section 2 has an opening through its upper end which is closedby a 5o removable cap 6, which is bolted to the upper end of saidsection 2, as shown, and has openings therethrough for air andelectrical connections with the interior of said case, as belowdescribed. Said section 2 is also provided With fixed eyebolts 7 '7,projecting there- 55 from, to which ropes or chains S 8 are connected,whereby the device is supported and manipulated as to varying positions.In Fig.

2 a third eyebolt 9 is shown on one side of said case, which providesfor a third support- 6o ing rope or chain 10, whereby the device issupported for operation in the position shown in said Fig. 2.

The aforesaid inner glass section 5 is of such dimension that anair-space 13 is pro- 65 vided between it and the section 4, andcommunication between said air-space 13 and the interior of said section5 is had through an opening 14. in the bottom thereof. Aninwardly-projecting nozzle 15 is provided on 7o said section 5, withwhich the end of an airconducting hose 16 is connected, as shown in Fig.1, said hose or conduit passing through and being hermetically sealed insaid cap G and of sufficient internal diameter to permit of carryingcertain electric conductors, below described, for a certain distancetherethrough without interfering with its air-conducting capacity, saidconductors passing out through a side nozzle 17 thereon, as shown, 8o inwhich they are tightly packed. A second hose or conduit 1S passesthrough said cap 6 and serves as a protecting-conduit for a group ofelectric conductors 19, which connect with the electric-arc lamps 20,which, as shown in Fig. 1, are arranged to illuminate the interior ofsaid inner glass section 5. Said hose 18 also serves as a conduit,whereby air may be exhausted from the interior of the apparatus, asdesired. The hose or conduit 9o 16 is connected to a suitable pump,whereby accumulations of air in any desired quantity may be supplied forthe purpose of maintaining proper combustion in said electric-arc lamps20, which lamps are supported on a bridge 21, extending transversely ofthe casesection 3. Suitable connections for these lamps enter the casethrough the conduit 18.

The particular form of lamp employed is immaterial. In the drawingsthree lamps are roo shown or, more properly, two lamps, each having apositive electrode, and a third lamp arranged between the other twohaving a negative electrode, the arc being formed between each of thepositive electrodes and the negative electrode. Thus but threeconductingwires 19 are required-one, negative, to the central lamp andthe other two, positive, to the two outside lamps.

On each side of the upper section 3 of the case are twooppositely-located arms 22, whose outer extremities are forkedandvadapted to receive two circular cases 23, provided with trunnions 24and having a swinging motion between the said forked extremities of thearm 22. These latter have a tubular rib running lengthwise thereof andcommunicating with the interior of the case-section 3, and through thistubular rib the wires 25 extend to a point near one of the trunnions 24,from whence they pass out thereof and enter said trunnion axially andare carried through to the interior of the case 23 and are connectedwith the electromagnet 26 (see Fig. 3) within said case. At the pointwhere said wires leave the tubular rib of the arm 22 and at the pointwhere they enter the trunnion the hole in both of these members iscarefully sealed to prevent the ingress of water, and of course the wireis insulated. These wires 25 extend up through the hose or conduit 16 tosome point above the water from whence the device is to be operated andare there connected with the common key and a battery,V whereby thecircuit may be closed, as desired. The electric conductors 19 arelikewise provided with a suitable switch, whereby light within thecasing 5 may be turned on or off, as desired.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings is clearly shown the devices wherebyanum'berot photographic plates may be operated and exposed at will. Thecasing 23, in which the camera is con tained, is preferably made ofmetal, having one open end 27, over which there is secured in anydesired manner a plate of glass 28. Diametrically opposite said opening27 is a larger opening, through which the camerabox 29 is introduced. Acap 30 serves to close this last-named opening hermetically.

When the camera is in position in the casing, its lens 3l will liedirectly back of the glass plate 23 and in a position concentric withthe open end 27 of the casing 23. The photographic plates which are tobe exposed may be supported within the camera-box and operated in anydesirable manner which will permit their exposure one at a time by themaking and breaking of an electric circuit at a point more or lessdistant from said camera. A very'acceptable and convenient means forperforming this operation is shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, in which aseries of plate-holding frames 32 are shown hinged together at theirlower ends and are supported on cleats 33 within the camera-box at theirlower or hinged ends, andthe upper end of the foremost holder of thebunch is engaged by a swinging lever 34. The upper edges of saidplateholders are each provided with a projection 35, (see Fig. 4,) whichprojections are alternately set off slightly each side of the center ofthe frame. The electromagnet 26 is adapted to operate on one end of across-bar 36 on the top of the lever 34, and a spring 37 is secured tothe other end of this bar. l/Vhen the current is broken, the magnet 26will release said crossbar 36, and the spring 37 will cause it tooperate transversely out of engagement with the projection 35, withwhich it is engaged, and to swing into the path of movement of theprojection on the next succeeding plate.

The plate-holding frame is pressed forward by a spring 33, and theaction of this spring causes the foremost plate in the frame to swing onits hinged base and describe a quarter-circle, as shown in Fig. 3, andas one plate swings around its successor is pressed forward until itoccupies the same plane.

The lens is provided with a shutter 39. (Shown in operative position insaid Fig. 3, and a portion thereof in plan view in Fig. 4.) This shutteris provided with a series of slots 40, radially arranged, and it is hungon a pivot4l in such position that when it is rotated said slots willpass by the lens-opening in the box. Secured to the pivot 4l of saidshutter 39 is a pinion engaging with a clockframe of gears, and on theshutter between the slots 40 are 'a series of stops 42. An elbow-lever43 is supported within the box in such position that one end thereof isadapted to engage the stops 42 on the shutter and the opposite endthereof to lie within the path of one of the plateholders as it swingsfrom its position of exposure over to one side of the case, asdescribed. A. support 44 for the ends of the plates which have beenexposed and swung to one side is provided to prevent said plates fromsliding forward and throwing the unexposed plates out of line.

The operation of the camera whereby successive plates may be exposed isas follows: The apparatus having been placed in a suitable position andthe lights having been turned on, the key 45 (see Fig. 5) may be pressedto complete the electric current in which the electromagnets 26 arelocated. This will cause one end of the cross-bar 36, which constitutesthe armature-core of said magnet, to be drawn toward the latter, thusreleasing a plate-holder from the restraint of the swinging lever 34,and tho plate-holder so released is swung to one side, as described,leaving the next succeeding plate-holder in proper position forexposure. Now as the plate-holder just released swings over to theposition at the side of the cameraebox, as shown in Fig. 3, it trips theelbow-lever 43, releasing the spring-operating shutter 39, which isswung on its axis just a distance equal to the space between two of thestops 42 on the shutter, the elbow-lever 43 flying back again as soon as-it is tripped by the plate-holder into the path of movement describedby said stop 42. This operation of IOO IIO

essfie 3 the shutter will eipose the plate by the passage of one of theslots 40 over the lens-openl as the number' of plates will permit.

By means of the above-described apparatus an examination of a ships hullbelow the water-line may be made at sea, if desired, by swinging thedevice over the side of the ship, as shown in Fig. 2, or by suspendingit from the eyebolts '7 alone, as shown in Fig. l, the apparatus may beemployed for examining the bottom of a channel or the bottom of the seaat any depth at which the pressure of the water will not be too greatfor the casing of the apparatus to withstand, and as this can all bemade of cylindrical form it may be made to withstand a very greatpressure, and thus render it available for the accurate eX- ploration ofthe bottom at depths much greater than that at which a diver or even adiving-bell can operate.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. In a submarine photographic apparatus, a transparent casing, anelectric-arc light therein, a conduit for conveying air into saidcasing, and a second conduit for conveying air thereform, a secondhermetically-sealed casing supported on an arm secured to saidlirst-named casing, means for adjusting said second casing relative tothe rst, a camera in said second casing, a transparent port in thelatter, electricallycontrolled means for operating the shutter of saidcamera,- linewires for the shutter-operating means, and line-wires forthe arc-light entering said firstnamed casing respectively through saidconduits, and a passage through said support for said second casing,through which said line-wires for the shutter-operating means may entersaid second casing, substantially as described.

2. In a submarine photographic apparatus, a hermetically-sealed casingconsisting of an upper portion of metal and a lower spher ical-shapedtransparent portion having a double wall, provided with an openingthrough the inner wall thereof at or near the lower end of said lowerportion,a conduit connected with the space between the two walls of saidtransparent portion of the casing for the ad mission of airtherebetween, a second conduit entering the casing through the upperpore tion thereof for conveying air therefrom, a camera supported onsaid casing electrically controlled means for operating the camera`shutter, line-wires for the shutter-operating means, and line-wires forthe archlight adapt-V ed to enter said casing through said twoconduits,respectively,substantially as described.

3. An apparatus for photographing submarine objects comprising atransparent casing, an electrioarc light therein, means for supplyingair to said light for maintaining the same, combined with one or morehermetically-sealed camera-containing casings; glass-covered ports insaid casings, arms attached to said transparent casing on which saidfirst-named casings are adjustably supn ported, cameras in said casingson said arms, and means for operating said cameras from a point remotetherefrom, to expose photographic plates therein through said ports,substantially as described.

LOUIS E. WALKINS. Witnesses:

H. A. OHAPIN, K. I.; CLEMoNs.

